Mending Bonds
by WielderoftheSilverSword
Summary: Severa's had a rough childhood as we all know, now she has to get about fixing the bonds that are broken. Severa and Lucina are sisters, which means that Cordelia and Chrom are married. (deal with it :) ) This is a one-shot. This is centered around Severa. Please Review and give good-natured critiques! :D


**Woah! Longest one-shot yet! I hope the characters aren't too OOC. I tried to make them in Character. Anyway, enjoy it.**

* * *

Again. Once again Severa had to stand by and watch. She leaned against a stone wall in a shadowy corner, they were currently in Regna Ferox, she didn't know or really care why. All she cared about was Lucina, or rather the attention she was getting, again. Chrom laughed at something the princess cleverly stated. The two stood together, inseparable as always.

Then, there was Severa. Growing up, the two were closer. Severa didn't really understand what was going on, she was always the naive one, ignorant. She didn't realize that her mother spent more time with her than her father, or that her father seemed to favor Lucina instead of her. She always craved her mother's attention, and got it.

Though, at times, she did wonder why her father payed less attention to her successes than her sister's. Merely nodded and smiled, maybe patted her head, while he sincerely applauded Lucina's effort. Then there was the fact that _she_ was always compared to Cordelia. The perfect, beautiful perfectionist, the genius. Cordelia even managed to snag the prince.

Sumia always told Severa stories of Cordelia's adoration and love for the prince, and Severa could see it plainly, always could in fact. That's why she was a mercenary and not a Pegasus knight. Lucina was the mirror image of their father and was proud to be so, why should Severa follow her mother's footsteps only to be compared in every step.

_"Why cant you be more like your mother?"_

_"Your mother wouldn't do that."_

_"Learn from Cordelia."_

_"She did it her first try."_

It drove her mad. Along with Lucina getting constant praise from Chrom... Then...their parents died. Severa mourned her mother greatly while Lucina her father. It drove even more a wedge between them. Lucina was next in line and stepped up to her duties. She was cold and strict. Now she was older, Severa realized Lucina and her never were _really_ close. Sure, they had fun moments...not too often.

Now Severa looked at the adoring face of her sister as Lucina stared at Chrom, hanging on to his every word. She felt a pain in her chest. Why couldn't she and Chrom-her father be that close? She glared fiercely at Lucina.

"Severa!" Her mother's voice snapped her from her reverie. She turned her gaze towards the approaching woman, crimson hair swaying behind her.

"Yes?" Severa asked irritably. She knew this woman knew nothing really of the future...but couldn't help but lay blame on her...on all of them. She missed the somewhat hurt look on Cordelia's face.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to go procure supplies with me..." She trailed off. Severa badly wanted to say yes, to spend more time with her..but a memory of the future Cordelia flashed through her mind.

"No." She ground out.

"I see. I am sorry for bothering you then." The red-haired woman walked away, to Chrom and Lucina with a thoughtful face. Severa felt a new rage and stalked off.

"What's the matter?" Chrom held out his arm for his wife and wrapped it around her as she neared. Cordelia sighed and lay her head against his chest. Lucina also looked curiously at her.

"I-I don't understand...why does she act so? I try..." She felt terrible. What in the world was she like in the future to have her child act like that towards her now? She saw the way Severa acted towards the others, and...her sister and father.

"It's no fault of yours, mother." Lucina cautiously stated. Cordelia looked up at her first born. Chrom held her closer, he could tell she was hurt by her daughter's rejection.

"I don't see how that is. I must have done something wrong."

"The future is a difficult world to live in...She-all of us had a...difficult childhood. She acts this way for the memories that haunt her, I believe." Lucina looked off into the distance, where Severa last stood.

"Then I believe we must see to it that our present children must have a better world to live in." Chrom looked Cordelia in the eyes and she nodded. "But for now, we must mend what bonds we have, form new ones." Lucina watched, she saw the love in her father's eyes. She smiled softly. They had always loved each other. Her smile faded as she thought of Severa...the constant scowl. She shook her head, she had to fix this.

* * *

Severa stood by a frozen river, looking down at the ice, breath visible in the cold air. She was surprised by the sound of footsteps, though she learned through the years to hide her emotions behind a wall.

"Severa?" A quiet voice broke the silence. It was Lucina. A sneer crossed her face.

"What now, _beloved sister_?" A mocking tone broke through her lips.

"I-I came to ask...what's wrong?" Lucina took a step closer as Severa whirled around.

"Really!? _What's wrong!?_" She laughed, coldly. "What isn't wrong?" She glared at Lucina.

"No! With _You_! What's wrong with you!?" Lucina yelled. "I'm tired of your angry attitude and your insulting everyone! Even mother and father! Why!? Why do you do that!?" Lucina couldn't hold it back. Severa really had done too much. She was silent for a moment.

"You...of all people..should know better." Came Severa's quiet reply. Behind those words came great emotion and pain.

"No! I don't! You never tell me anything! You shut me out Severa." Lucina's voice turned frosty.

"No...you shut me out first, after our parents died. You forgot about me. You only cared about father. It was always him you worshipped. He always favored you too. He never really cared about me. I was always compared to mother too. I was _never good enough_." Severa's voice grew hard and cold. She looked up sharply, glaring at Lucina. "Nothing I ever did was good enough! You never even cared about me! So why start pretending now!?" Severa felt years of pain flowing through, coming out as tears. She wiped at her eyes, but they wouldn't stop.

"Why! Why didn't you say anything! Why didn't you come to me! You locked yourself in your room! I lost my parents too!" Severa yelled through her sobs. "Why didn't you love me..."

Lucina had a look of complete anguish on her face. "Severa, I did! I cared about you so much! I wanted you to be safe and happy... I thought that I should become strong so I could protect you. I didn't think-I didn't know you felt that way... " Lucina felt her eyes sting. She looked up at her sister, she opened her arms and Severa ran into them, weeping.

"I cared about you. Please believe me! I was-I was so foolish to think you didn't care. I was so foolish to forget. I was lost in my own mourning. I am eternally sorry!" Lucina was crying as well now. "Please..please forgive me." She whispered into Severa's hair.

"Will you be my sister again?" Severa quietly asked, still hiccuping. Lucina felt a smile on her face.

"I will. I wont ever shut you out again. You have my word." They released each other. Severa couldn't help but laugh.

"How dramatic was that?" She was still crying, but still felt chuckles wrack her gut. Lucina also began to laugh.

"You've always been one for dramatics." The two sisters laughed and laughed. They finally settled down.

"You have to fix things with our parents now.." Lucina looked at her sister, who looked thoughtful now.

"Yeah..I probably should." She smiled slightly. "I wonder if they could forgive me for the way I've been acting."

"Of course they will. Mother has the biggest heart I know of." Lucina took her arm. "Come on. They should be in their room now."

* * *

Severa stood nervously at the door to her parent's borrowed bedroom. She raised her hand to knock. She felt her hands grow sweaty. She knocked three times. The door opened to reveal her mother's surprised face.

"Severa?"

"Ca-Can I come in? I want to talk to you both.." She looked nervously at the ground.

"Of course, please!" Cordelia opened the door wider and led the girl in. Chrom was seated at a desk, looking over maps and charts. Cordelia cleared her throat and he looked up.

"Ah, Severa, can I help you?" He stood up and walked to her. She felt her throat tighten. He was actually giving her his full attention. Her eyes began to sting. "Severa?" His face grew worried.

"I-I'm s-so sorry!" She hid her face in her hands, letting the tears flow between her fingers. Gods, why was she so awful at this?

"For what?" She felt gentle hands remove her's from her face. She looked up to see the concerned eyes of her mother's.

"I-for everything! I've been so terrible to you...and it's not even your fault!" Her voice wavered. Chrom stood by somewhat awkwardly as his wife led Severa to sit on the bed, kneeling before her.

"It's alright, we know you've had a difficult child-hood." Severa looked up, her face tear-stained.

"You don't understand. You don't know _why_ it was difficult!" She felt a cloud of anger rise in her chest. Anger at the unfairness of her past.

"The tell us. Please, we'll listen. Don't hold yourself back." Cordelia prodded gently, moving some hair from her face.

" I bet that's not what she would have said..." Her voice shook."He-" She glanced at Chrom."-probably would have told me to be stronger. Not let myself show weakness." Severa looked at her hands. Cordelia looked as if she wanted to say something but nodded instead, encouraging her forward.

"I was never good enough, not ever strong enough. People always compared me to you...you were always so perfect and good at everything, smart, strong, and pretty. People wanted me to become exactly like you. They always told me to be better...that's why I'm a mercenary, I was tired of hearing it." She took a breath. "And then there was Lucina. The perfect one, father's favorite. She was always good at everything, always praised...Father loved her more, I could tell.

"He never really spent time with me, it was always her. Mother was always busy with her Knightly duties or whatever. I was alone...Lucina and I didn't get along too well, but back then I didn't get it. I didn't understand why I got scolded and she got praised...Then you both died... You left us alone and Lucina withdrew, leaving me even more alone. She was next in line...and there was all the fighting..." She clasped her head in her hands as a memory flashed through her mind.

_Pale...deathly pale.. A woman with long red hair was laid on a long slab of stone covered with blue silk. Her eyes were closed and her hands were clasped on her chest. She wore a long white gown. Her mother...she was gone...Severa collapsed by the stone, staring at her mother's ghostly face. Merely kneeling and staring, not knowing what to do..._

Suddenly she was surrounded by warmth and her face was pressed into fresh smelling hair. Both of her parents on either side of her were embracing her. Severa broke into new sobs, her body shaking.

"I-I don't know what to say..." Chrom said quietly after he released his daughter. She was curled into Cordelia's side while her hair was stroked. Cordelia looked at him sadly.

"How could we possibly come to be like that?" Chrom shook his head as she spoke.

"I really don't know...to think I would favor one child so obviously above the other...it's...I don't even know."

"It makes me feel like a failure of a mother really." Cordelia whispered. Severa sat up slowly. She wiped her eyes.

"Please... don't say that." She looked at her parents.

"Please know, Severa, that I love you. We both love you so much. I am so sorry for ever putting you up to that." He pulled her against him, hugging her to his chest. "I promise, I wont ever do that this time around."

"Promise me you wont leave again...both of you."

"We promise, Severa" Cordelia said, a smile upon her face.

"I'll try to be nicer now..I guess." She pulled away sheepishly. They all laughed..

* * *

Severa did change...a bit. Her remarks weren't so biting anymore, her sneers weren't so insulting. Her demeanor changed a little. She was definitely doing better with her family. They continued on to finish the war and defeat Grima.

"Waaah!" A whine pierced through Severa's ears.

"Was I always this noisy?" She sighed and walked over to where her mother sat, holding the baby Severa.

"Yes." Lucina smiled.

"Be quiet, you couldn't possibly remember!"

"All right you two, that's enough." Cordelia reprimanded her daughters. "Perhaps you should check on the two gentlemen your father has taken captive." Cordelia grinned.

"Seriously? He's still talking to them? Geez..I hope he doesn't terrify them into changing their minds... I think Gerome wont quit you though Lucina." Severa directed her thoughts to her sister. Lucina turned red.

"I-he- what? Of course not! Laurent will pull through as well I believe." She stuttered a bit. She was unused to having a love interest, she never had time for it before. Severa laughed. So, everything worked out in the end. Severa smiled as she looked at her family, or at least part of it. Soon she would have a brother-in-law, and be married herself as well. Life was well.

* * *

**So? Yeah, I paired Lucina/Gerome and Severa/Laurent. Hate me if you want. This was inspired by a FE ship confession. It said something about Severa being spiteful towards Lucina if Chrom married Cordelia. It made me think about how Severa would have turned out and what her childhood would have been like. And yes, I do ship Chrom/Cordelia. Please review and leave good-natured critique. Please don't leave rude comments. Could I improve on anything? Please tell me.I will write requests, so if you have a Chrom/Cordelia or Severa/Laurent or Lucina/Gerome request then I could write it. :D**


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